Trump: Nuclear Deal with Saudi Arabia Contingent on Joining Abraham Accords

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the civilian nuclear cooperation between the US Department of Energy and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which does not include any uranium enrichment activities, will be approved, but remains contingent on the Kingdom joining the Abraham Accords.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump added that the agreement is limited to civilian, non-military uses, similar to the civilian nuclear programs in Iran, the UAE, and other countries.

He emphasized that the United States does not oppose the establishment of civilian nuclear facilities that do not involve uranium enrichment, reiterating that the agreement’s approval is contingent on the Kingdom joining the Abraham Accords.

Earlier, the United States announced a landmark deal with Saudi Arabia that would establish a civilian nuclear program in the Gulf country, with Washington insisting the agreement includes non-proliferation safeguards. The move comes as the United States under President Donald Trump fights a war with Iran that began in large part over concerns with Tehran’s nuclear program — an issue that remains a key point of contention during now-stalled peace talks.

Two agreements — one on “peaceful nuclear cooperation” and another on “bilateral safeguards” — were signed by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and his Saudi counterpart Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, the US Energy Department said. The text of the deals was not immediately made public.

“Together, these two agreements lay the legal foundation for a decades-long, multi-billion-dollar partnership that advances several priority economic and strategic objectives, including nuclear nonproliferation,” the US Energy Department said in a statement.

A provision in the deal would potentially see US companies build a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Energy Department statement made no mention of such a provision and did not offer comment when asked about it.

US lawmakers from both parties and Israeli officials have previously voiced opposition to such a project over fears Saudi Arabia could eventually convert it to develop nuclear weapons.

US Energy Secretary Wright dismissed concerns about proliferation, insisting the deal was in Washington’s economic and strategic interest. (AFP/EIR)